1. Background of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to recreational equipment, and more specifically, provides devices and artificial structures for use in rock climbing.
Rock climbing has increased in popularity tremendously over the last few decades. Where even mountaineers once avoided the steepest rock faces, modern sport climbers seek far and wide for challenging crags. As climbing techniques and technology have improved, more and more climbers can be found on the available rock walls, and these climbers are ascending more and more difficult rock climbing routes.
With the increase in popularity of rock climbing (and the increasing difficulty of the climbs), artificial rock climbing walls have become quite popular. Such walls allow climbers to practice and hone their skills, and allow beginners to experience rock climbing in a safe environment. In addition, artificial climbing walls allow purchasers of climbing boots, harnesses, and other equipment to test these articles in a store prior to purchase. Hence, artificial climbing walls are becoming commonplace for indoor gymnasiums, resorts, climbing equipment retail stores, and the like.
A typical climbing gym will have a wall constructed of plywood with T-nuts inserted through the plywood panels to the climbing surface. The T-nuts allow structures called climbing holds to be affixed on the climbing surface. These climbing holds are often threadably fastened to the T-nuts so that the holds can be added, removed, or changed to vary the features and difficulty of ascending the artificial wall. The climbing holds are typically made of resin-concrete, and can be shaped as desired. For example, an easy hold would provide a large external ledge, which is easily grabbed or stepped on. A more difficult hold will only extend slightly from the climbing surface, making it more difficult for the climber to support their weight. The paths climbers take up a climbing wall along the holds is generally referred to as a climbing route.
More recent advancements in climbing wall structures have enhanced the look and feel of the climbing surface. Initially, the flat plywood panels were often covered with a mixture of sand and paint to more nearly approximate the texture of natural rock. Textured fiberglass panels having molded features that more nearly approximate those of natural walls are also now available. The molded panels often incorporate T-nuts or other hold attachment structures so that the difficulty of the various routes can be changed after the panels are assembled. Alternative artificial rock climbing structures make use of polystyrene foam blocks that are attached to support structures and then cut to irregular rocklike shapes. The shaped polystyrene foam can then be covered with a hard coating for climbing. Hence, advancements in artificial climbing structures for use in a fixed location such as a climbing gym, climbing equipment store, and the like, have gradually enhanced these practice climbing facilities by providing more realistic walls that closely approximate natural rock formations.
As climbing has further increased in popularity, attempts have been made to provide portable climbing structures that can be set up for temporary use at fairs or other events. Not surprisingly, the mobile climbing structures proposed to date often make use of the climbing wall construction techniques that were developed for fixed installations. Although these mobile climbing structures have been fairly successful, work in connection with the present invention has shown that fixed wall structures have certain limitations that limit their usefulness when they are mounted to a tilt-up trailer or supported by a collapsible scaffolding. In particular, tilt-up trailers having known climbing wall structures generally do not accommodate as many climbers as would be desirable, due in-part to the limitations on the size of a trailer vehicle. While it is possible to construct more complex articulated climbing wall structures that can unfold at an event site, the cost and complexity of the unfolding mechanism more than outweighs the increase in the number of climbers the articulated structures can handle. Additionally, these known portable rock climbing structures generally make use of a simple pulley arrangement to support the climbers, so that the safety of the climber depends on the skill of a "belayer," an assistant required for each climber to tend the rope as the climber ascends. Although this arrangement works well for pairs of skilled climbers, it may be inconvenient, expensive, or even dangerous to rely on a belayer for the safety of each climber at a public event such as a fair or the like.
In light of the above, it would be desirable to provide improved artificial rock climbing structures and devices. It would be particularly desirable to provide climbing structures that were better suited for use in a mobile climbing system, particularly if these improved structures also had potentially advantageous applications for fixed climbing installations. It would further be desirable to provide improved climber safety devices for use with artificial climbing structures, both mobile and fixed. It would be best if these improvements enhanced the number of climbers that can be accommodated, but without significantly increasing the cost or complexity of the climbing experience.
2. Description of the Background Art
The following patents may be relevant to the present invention, and the full disclosures of each is incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,941,548; 4,997,064; 5,092,587; 5,125,877; 5,254,058; 5,256,116; 5,543,185; and 5,593,368.